ThePokémonfranchise is easily one of the most profitable in all gaming, selling tens of millions of copies per entry and garnering critical acclaim with practically every release. At times, it feels like it can do no wrong, catering to both casual gamers and hardcore fans alike with a suite of new ‘mons to catch and regions to explore. However, while the series has never quite lost its luster thanks to the ongoing anime series and frequent releases of mainline entries, a few hitches along the way have seen it decline a little in quality.
Namely,Pokémon ScarletandViolet’sperformance issuesshowed the slight limitations of Game Freak’s ability, especially when it comes to developing open-world spaces. Compared to other open-world Nintendo-produced titles such asXenoblade Chronicles 3,ScarletandVioletfelt like a surprising misstep. This, naturally, brings into question whether another developer would be better suited to createPokémongames. While Game Freak will never hand over the ridiculously profitable mainline entries to another developer,it’s possible that one of Nintendo’s first-party developers could step in and create an amazing spin-off.
Monolith Soft Would Make An Incredible Pokemon Game
It Has Proven Itself With The Xenoblade Franchise
Monolith Soft is one of Nintendo’s best first-party developers, proving to be a phenomenal support studio - having worked onBOTW,TOTK,Animal Crossing: New Horizons,Splatoon 3, and many more - and a lead developer on some of the publisher’s best games. It is constantly pushing Nintendo’s hardware with itsXenoblade Chronicles series. The original provided the Wii - and subsequently the 3DS and Switch - with one of thebest JRPGs of all time;Xenoblade Chronicles Xon the Wii U is one of the largest open-world games ever; andXenoblade Chronicles 2and3pushed the Switch to its limits.
Miraculously, Monolith Soft isn’t just technically proficient, creating vast and gorgeous open-world experiences, but also excellent with narratives.Xenoblade Chronicles 3’samazing reviewstouted its narrative as being a maturely told exploration of war and grief, and evenXenoblade Chronicles 2’smore anime-inspired story manages to pull at the heartstrings on more than one occasion. All ofthis naturally positions Monolith Soft to be the perfect choice for an open-worldPokémonspin-off.
It’s worth clarifying that Game Freak would never simply hand over control of the mainlinePokémonentries. It co-owns The Pokémon Company with Nintendo and Creatures, so it has no incentive to give up development duties of the main games. This is why another developer would only be able to produce a spin-off.
If thePokémonseries has one major weakness, it is its narratives, which, to this day, remain completely unvoiced. They’re often too simple or too derivative of one another, focusing on broad themes like animal cruelty, greed, and abuse of power. Naturally,Monolith Soft is experienced enough to create a more nuanced story-focusedPokémonadventurethat’s both fully voiced like the anime and character-driven. It has proven time and time again that it can create compelling party dynamics, much like what thePokémonanime offers.
Additionally,Monolith Soft’s proficiency with open-world game design would enable it to create a more dynamic world for players to explore. While Game Freak’s attempt at creating an open world proved profitable, it also caused a significant uproar in the fanbase due to its poor implementation and initially buggy state. Were Monolith Soft to become the primary open-worldPokémondeveloper, while Game Freak continues to develop the type ofPokémongame it knows best, all types ofPokémonfans would be catered to extremely well.
Other Developers Have Made Pokemon Spin-Offs
Pokemon Colosseum, Snap, And Stadium Were Made By Other Developers
It’s not as if there isn’t a precedence for other developers stepping in and making full-blownPokémonspin-offs. On the GameCube, Genius Sonority developedPokémon ColosseumandPokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, while on the N64, HAL Laboratory developedPokémon SnapandPokémon Stadium.
Even recently, ILCA developed the surprisinglygood remakes ofPokémon DiamondandPearl, and TiMi Studio Group developedPokémon Unite. Of course, the more recentPokémonentries from different developers have veered more toward mobile game and remake territory, rather than unique spin-offs likeColosseumandSnap.
It’s unclear why Nintendo hasn’t leveraged its other first-party developers to produce more majorPokémonspin-offsrather than pushing Game Freak to its absolute limit to get multiple entries out in one year. While it’s hard to say whether Game Freak handling all mainlinePokémonduties is responsible for the dip in quality - at least when it comes to technical performance - it does mean thatPokémon’sidentity feels entirely singular, unlike Nintendo’s other franchises which have distinct spin-off entries.
It’s unclear why Nintendo hasn’t leveraged its other first-party developers to produce more majorPokémonspin-offs rather than pushing Game Freak to its absolute limit to get multiple entries out in one year.
Mariocontinues to evolve its identity with sports games, RPGs, platformers, and so much more.The Legend of Zeldahas also managed to target every possible niche within its genre, offering industry-defining entries as well as more throwback experiences.Pokémon, at least recently, hasn’t quite managed to do that, evolving iteratively with the likes ofLegends: Arceus, and delivering entries that feel somewhat fresh, but are oftenmarred by technical or gameplay limitationslike Pokémon Scarlet andViolet.
Nintendo And Game Freak Need To Allow Other Developers To Make Big-Budget Pokemon Games
It’s Time To See How Other Developers Would Handle It
It can sometimes feel hard to believe thatPokémononce had such distinct spin-offs.Pokémon Colosseumis the most obvious example, alongsideSnapandStadium, but there was also theMystery Dungeonseries, the DS exclusivePokémon Ranger, and the TRPGPokémon Conquest. However, these all released a very long time ago, with perhapsthe only recent attempt at a truePokémonspin-off being themalignedDetective Pikachuseries.
With Nintendo experimenting with almost all of its other franchises, it feels apt for it, alongside the rest of The Pokémon Company, to go back to expanding Pokémon.
With Nintendo experimenting with almost all of its other franchises, it feels apt for it, alongside the rest of The Pokémon Company, to go back to expanding Pokémon. Frustratingly, however, it’s clear why it doesn’t, asPokémonspin-offs don’t do as well as the mainline entries, and themainline entries do ridiculously well. Considering games cost a significant amount more to develop now than they ever did on the GameCube or Nintendo DS,it’s not surprising that The Pokémon Company hasn’t poured resources into another developer making a truePokémonspin-off.
Nintendo Should Bring Back This Classic Pokémon Game Series You Probably Missed
The Pokémon franchise has created many spin-offs, but the Pokémon Ranger franchise has been a clear standout even years after its release.
Mobile games and remakes produce plenty of revenue and don’t cost as much to make as a Monolith Soft-developed story-focused open-worldPokémongame would. However, considering the success of theXenoblade Chroniclesfranchise and thePokémoncommunity’s desire for something a little different - the sheer sales numbers ofPokémon Scarlet and Violet, despite their technical and gameplay shortcomings, speak to fans’ desire for an open worldPokémongame - it is possible that eventually, The Pokémon Company will get Monolith Soft to make aPokémongame, and when that day comes, fans can rest assured it will be incredible.
